


second star to the right and straight on 'til morning

by whattheelizabeth



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, F/F, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Fluff, Road Trips, Slow Build, kind of there was only one bed but not really, other characters make background apperences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26052103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whattheelizabeth/pseuds/whattheelizabeth
Summary: As they settled into their seats, Mai asked, "Do you have any idea where we’re going?""No, I was just going to follow this really bright star I saw." Ty Lee pulled out of the driveway and turned to smile at Mai. "Let’s see where it takes us."|| Mai and Ty Lee go on a road trip
Relationships: Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 83





	second star to the right and straight on 'til morning

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, the setting for this fic is inspired by modern Japan, but with the atla flora and fauna. Don't ask me why, I just wanted to keep a little bit of the atla world, so I kept the wildlife.

It was two in the morning. Mai and Ty Lee were laying in the grass in the backyard of Mai’s house, looking at the stars.

“What if we went on a road trip?” Ty Lee asked, turning her head to look at Mai.

Mai met Ty Lee’s gaze. “Why would we do that?”

“Come on, Mai,” Ty Lee propped herself up on an elbow and sprinkled grass on Mai’s face. “We’ll be moving back to university soon, so we should have one last hurrah. Besides, it’ll be fun! We can leave now and by the time the sun rises, we’ll be in a whole new place.”

Mai huffed and sat up, brushing the grass off her face. “It _would_ be nice to get away from my parents for a while. I feel like I’m suffocating under the weight of their gaze. Ugggh, I miss university” She looked down at Ty Lee. “Why are you so eager to leave?”

Ty Lee sat up and wrapped her arms around her knees. “My parents are occupied with my sisters. With one getting promoted to principal ballerina, one receiving awards for her research, and another on track to become one of the most prominent youth artists, all I ever hear about is how amazing they are. My parents are always telling me to follow in their footsteps, to join this club or that sorority, talk to this professor or take that class. I just want to go far away, somewhere I won’t be living in my sisters’ shadows.”

Mai sighed and stood up. _This might as well happen_ , she thought. “Well, we better get moving, so we can be long gone by the time our parents wake up.”

Ty Lee bounced to her feet and wrapped Mai in a hug. “Yay! I’m so excited! I need to run home and pack a few things, but I’ll meet you back here in an hour.”

Mai watched as Ty Lee did a cartwheel and pranced to her car, giving Mai a wave as she shut the car door and drove off.

Mai made her way to her house, careful not to wake her parents or brother as she opened and closed the sliding glass door. She crept to her room, easily avoiding all the creaky spots she had catalogued years ago. Silently closing the door behind her, Mai pulled out a suitcase and started packing. She had no idea how long they were going to be gone, and honestly, she had no idea why she’d agreed, but she was going with Ty Lee, which was better than staying here with her family.

She threw in some shirts, pants, a toothbrush, and anything else she thought she’d need. After about a half hour, she was ready, and carried her suitcase to the backyard, careful once more to not make a sound.

When she reached the backyard, Mai found Ty Lee leaning against her car, already waiting for her.

“I thought you said you’d take an hour?” Mai asked as she opened the trunk of Ty Lee’s worn-with-love Honda. Mai had told Ty Lee time and time again that it was probably time to get a new car, but Ty Lee was stubbornly attached to this one. Mai just hoped it wouldn’t break down and leave them stranded hours from home.

“It didn’t take as long as I expected.” Ty Lee said as she helped Mai put her suitcase in the trunk. “Turns out it only takes a few minutes to throw some clothes into a suitcase.”

Mai chuckled softly. “I assume you’re driving first since this was your idea?”

“Yep, I have a cup of coffee and some gum, so I’m ready to go!”

As they settled into their seats, Mai asked, “Do you have any idea where we’re going?”

“No, I was just going to follow this really bright star I saw.” Ty Lee pulled out of the driveway and turned to smile at Mai. “Let’s see where it takes us.”

* * *

They’d been driving for hours, and the sun was starting to rise. Mai rubbed her eyes, squinting as the sun shone directly on her face. At some point she’d fallen asleep to the sound of Ty Lee chattering on about how stars and planets were forces of energy and influenced the world around them. She’d heard this rant a million times, but had never fallen asleep in the middle of it before.

 _I guess cars will do that to you_ , she thought and sat up from where she’d fallen asleep against the window.

Mai took in their surroundings. They’d made it out of the city and were surrounded by rocky mountains on either side. She looked out the windshield and sucked in a small breath. Mai wasn’t usually one to get teary eyed about beauty, but even she could admit the view in front of her was breathtaking. Peeking over the crest of two snow-covered mountains was the sun, a painted sky of orange, pink, and purple behind it. When she finally tore her gaze away, she found Ty Lee watching her.

“What?” Mai asked, a bit harsher than she meant to.

“Nothing,” Ty Lee turned her eyes back to the road. “I’ve just never seen you so moved by nature...or anything really.”

The sight was a stark contrast of what Mai was used to in the city. Her family didn’t travel a lot, and when they did, it was to the beach, never the mountains. And yeah, she did think the mountains were one of the most beautiful things she’d ever seen, but she wasn’t going to admit that to Ty Lee.

“I wasn’t moved.” Mai replied, sitting back in her seat and crossing her arms. “I was just surprised.”

“Whatever you say Mai, but I heard you gasp when you looked at the sunrise.”

Mai sighed. “It was a gasp of _surprise_ , not movement.”

“Well, I think the sunrise is beautiful. I can just feel it cleansing my aura.” Ty Lee’s head suddenly whipped to the side to look out her window. “Oh my spirits!” she exclaimed and turned to Mai. “ Mai, do you see this baby koala sheep? It’s so cute!” Ty Lee took one hand off the wheel and turned back to her window to point at the koala sheep. “There it is. I bet it just woke up. It’s alone though; I hope it’s not lost.”

Mai craned her neck to get a better look at the animal. “No, it’s not lost. I see another one in the bushes behind it.” She sat back in her seat again, propping her legs on the dash. “How long have we been driving anyway?”

Ty Lee put both hands back on the wheel, attention on the road once more. “Not that long. We left around 2:30 and it’s just past 5:00 now, so about two and half hours.”

“Ugh, it feels like we’ve been driving for ages,” Mai complained. “And I have to pee.”

“It looks like the next exit is a rest stop.” Ty Lee pointed at the sign as it whizzed by. “We can stop there, you can use the bathroom, and I’ll get us some food!”

As if on queue, Mai stomach rumbled. “Sounds good to me,” she said, and Ty Lee pulled off the expressway.

Ty Lee parked the car, and they walked toward the building in the center of the rest stop, surrounded by a park.

“I hope they have omelettes!” Ty Lee said as she slung her arm through Mai’s. “And coffee! I finished mine on the drive.”

“I could go for some miso soup,” Mai said. She raised her arm not occupied by Ty Lee to shield her eyes. “Agni, it’s so sunny. Doesn’t it ever go away?”

Ty Lee laughed as they entered the building. “Mai, the sun’s been up for less than an hour. Maybe we should get you an umbrella while we’re here.”

“An umbrella won’t help when we’re in the car and the sun is burning my eyes out of my sockets.” Mai disentangled her arm from Ty Lee’s. “I’m headed to the bathroom. Get me some miso soup if you see some.” She started walking and called over her shoulder, “Oh, and get me a cup of coffee. Black, no sugar.”

Ty Lee gave her a thumbs up. “You got it!”

Ty Lee surveyed the building. It had a high ceiling with skylights letting in light from the barely risen sun. On one wall, there were three restaurants: one fast food chain, one buffet, and one fancier dine-in. On the other wall, there was a coffee and sweet shop, a gift shop, and a convenience store. At the back of the building was a door leading out to the park, and in the space in the middle was a dining and sitting area, with various plants scattered about the area.

Ty Lee made her way to the buffet and perused the menu. To her delight, they had omelettes and miso soup for Mai. Perfect!

She stepped up to the counter. “One omelette and one cup of miso soup, please.”

The girl behind the counter rolled her eyes. “Can’t you be any more interesting? I’ve had five orders identical to yours in the past hour.”

“I wish I could, but I’ve been craving an omelette, and my friend wouldn’t touch her food if I got her anything different.” Ty Lee smiled at the girl. “But for the sake of argument, what would you get -” Ty Lee glanced at the girl’s name tag, “- Azula?”

The girl called Azula rolled her eyes again. “Well, if you must know, I would get natto. It’s healthy and quick, the perfect fuel to start your day.”

“Great points, but I think I’ll stick with an omelette and a cup of miso soup.”

Azula typed in her order. “That will be five dollars.”

“What did you order?” a dry voice said from behind Ty Lee.

She started. “Mai! How long have you been standing there?”

“Only a minute,” she replied. “Long enough to hear her babble on about the wonders of natto.”

“Excuse me, but I was not _babbling_.” Azula huffed. “I was simply stating facts.”

Mai pulled out her phone and began to check her messages. “Whatever you say.” She didn’t spare them a glance before walking over to the dining area and taking a seat at one of the tables.

“Sorry about her.” Ty Lee gave Azula a winning smile as she passed her the money. “She can get cranky when she’s up before noon.”

“Hmph, well I better get your food. Is it for here or to-go?”

“For here,” Ty Lee said, and a minute later she was by Mai, omelette and miso soup in hand.

“Ughh, my parents are so fussy,” Mai complained as Ty Lee sat across from her.

Ty Lee passed Mai her soup. “What did they say?”

“My dad texted me while I was in the bathroom, demanding to know where I was and threatening to disown me if I didn’t come home right away. My mom left a voicemail a few minutes later saying she was worried sick and if I didn’t answer soon, she was going to call the police and have them put me on house arrest.”

“That’s awful.” Ty Lee reached out and squeezed Mai’s hand. “What did you say?”

Mai squeezed Ty Lee’s hand back before letting go. “I told them I went on a road trip with you and I don’t know when I’ll be back.” She took a sip of her soup. “They didn’t like that.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think my parents have even noticed I’m gone,” Ty Lee frowned and pulled out her phone. “Yep, no messages.”

“Ty Lee, that doesn’t make me feel better. It only makes me feel worse.” Her eyes met Ty Lee’s. “They’re fools if they don’t appreciate you.”

Ty Lee’s cheeks flushed as the corners of her lips tugged upward. “Thanks Mai. I’d rather be here with you anyway.”

They finished their food in silence, Mai listening to music and people watching, Ty Lee checking social media.

“Do you still want coffee?” Mai asked as she reached for Ty Lee’s empty plate.

Ty Lee looked up from her phone. “Ooo, yeah. Can you get me an iced coffee? I’m going to check out the convenience store for snacks.”

“Sure.” Mai stacked her bowl on top of Ty Lee’s plate and put their dishes in the return tray.

The coffee and sweet shop wasn’t as nice as Mai would have liked, but it would do. She ordered their coffee, and while she was waiting for the drinks, she surveyed the sweets. There was an array of chocolates and candies, but her gaze snagged on the sour gummies. When the cashier handed her the coffee, she had the gummies in hand; they were Ty Lee’s favorite, how could she not buy them?

After she paid, Mai went back over to their table, where Ty Lee was sitting, rummaging through her bag of snacks.

“Oh, you’re back!” Ty Lee looked up from her rummaging when Mai approached. “I got something for you!” She pulled out a pair of cheap, convenience store sunglasses. “Here! So the sun doesn’t burn your eyes out of your sockets.”

Mai took the sunglasses and tried them on. No one could see her eyes, and it made her feel powerful, like she could drop out of university and become a secret agent. She could get used to this. Mai saw a guy a few tables away staring at her. She glared at him, and he immediately dropped his gaze. Yeah, she could definitely get used to this.

“Wow, you look even more intimidating than before,” Ty Lee said. “It’s a good look on you.”

Mai slid the bag of gummies across the table to Ty Lee. “I got you something, too.”

“Sour gummies! My favorite!” Ty Lee exclaimed. “With these and the coffee, I can drive all day.”

“You probably shouldn’t eat those now. It’s only 6:00,” Mai said as they walked out of the building, arm in arm again. “Plus, it’s my turn to drive, you should get some sleep.”

* * *

Ty Lee woke up to a jerk of the car and the sound of Mai’s curses.

“Fine, cut me off. I didn’t want to get in that lane anyway,” Mai mumbled. She glanced at Ty Lee out of the corner of her eye. “Oh, you’re awake.”

“It’s fine! I needed to wake up anyway,” Ty Lee replied and looked at the clock in the dashboard. “It’s noon! Why didn’t you wake me up sooner? You’ve been driving for six hours!”

Mai waved a hand. “ _I’m fine_ , but these bozos need to learn how to drive.” She weaved between the lanes to pass two cars. “I mean the speed limit is 60 mph. That’s the _minimum_ you should be going.”

Ty Lee looked behind them as one of the drivers honked and gave Mai a particularly nasty gesture. “I’m pretty sure that’s not how it works, Mai.” She shrugged and took a sip of her coffee, making a face.

“Blegh, this is warm. Well, as long as you don’t get caught, I don’t see a problem.”

“I almost got caught about an hour ago,” Mai said. “There was a cop in my blind spot, and I was just about to weave into the other lane when I glanced over my shoulder and saw her.”

Ty Lee laughed and took in Mai’s appearance for the first time since she woke up. “You’re wearing your sunglasses!”

Ty Lee could see Mai roll her eyes beneath the lenses. “Of course. I didn’t want to blind myself.”

Ty Lee didn’t say anything, but if it was noon, the sun hadn’t been in her eyes for a couple hours. She obviously appreciated, maybe even enjoyed the sunglasses. Mai was interesting, definitely the most interesting friend Ty Lee had. She pretended not to care about anything, but those who knew her could tell that she actually cared a lot. Sadly, those people were few and far between. Ty Lee honestly didn’t know if anyone had ever made the effort to get to know Mai before her.

“What are you staring at?” Mai asked.

“Nothing!” Ty Lee said with forced brightness. “I was just debating if I should get you real sunglasses for your birthday.”

Ty Lee could see the barest smile grace Mai’s lips. “If you want to, go for it. I don’t care.”

“Ok, I will!” Ty Lee evaluated Mai’s face. “Maybe aviators? No. Circle? No.” She suddenly clapped her hands. “Wayfarer! That’s it. You’d look good in those, Mai.”

“Aren’t these wayfarer?”

“Well, yeah, but they’re cheap. You deserve a nice pair.” Ty Lee smiled at her, then turned back to the road. “Ooo! There’s a sign for a burger place at the next exit. Let’s stop and get lunch, and then I can drive for a bit.”

Mai weaved through the cars to get to the left lane exit. As they pulled off the expressway, they left a chorus of horns and angry voices in their wake. Luckily, the burger place was the first thing they saw when they exited the expressway, so they didn’t have to worry about finding it or angering any more drivers. Ty Lee was fairly sure Mai would’ve fought the next person who flipped her off. Mai pulled into a parking spot, and they got out of the car.

“Wow, all that time sleeping in the car made my joints ache,” Ty Lee said.

Mai watched as Ty Lee twisted to stretch her back.

“Phew, that feels good,” she said and reached down to touch her toes.

Mai felt like time was moving in slow motion. Every thought in her head vanished,

“Ready to go in?” Ty Lee asked, and Mai tore her eyes from Ty Lee. She was very grateful that the sunglasses hid where her gaze had been only moments before.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” she said, her voice softer than usual.

Ty Lee studied her for a moment, her face unreadable, before she linked her arm through Mai’s and led them into the restaurant.

Mai couldn’t focus as they ordered their food and sat down. What had just happened? She’d never felt like that before, like time was frozen and the only thing she could see was Ty Lee. It freaked her out. She could barely concentrate on what Ty Lee was saying as she pecked at her burger.

“Mai?” Ty Lee’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

“Sorry, I spaced out,” Mai drawled, looking to her right at a man who seemed to be attempting to shove an entire burger in his mouth.

“You have been driving for six hours,” Ty Lee said. “That probably has something to do with it.”

“Probably,” Mai replied and finally looked at Ty Lee.

Ty Lee smiled at her. “I asked you where you think we should go.”

Mai sighed and looked away again. “Didn’t you say you were following a star or something?” For the past six hours, Mai had just driven straight on the expressway in the same direction Ty Lee had been driving.

“I was following a star, but in case you haven’t noticed, the stars aren’t out anymore.” Ty Lee held up her phone, and Mai leaned in to see the screen. “I found an Airbnb a couple hours from here. It’s rated well and there’s a cute town fifteen minutes away. Plus, it’s said to have a great view.”

Mai leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “If that’s where you want to go, it’s fine with me.”

“Awesome! I’ll book it.” She was immediately immersed in her phone, pulling out her credit card and typing with a furrowed brow.

Mai took this chance to look at Ty Lee again. There was no feeling of warped time, no frozen gaze. And before when Ty Lee had studied her for that brief moment? Ty Lee was usually an open book, but in that moment, Mai couldn’t get a read on her. It had always been so easy with Ty Lee, but now Mai felt uncomfortably irritable and on edge.

Ty Lee looked up from her phone and smiled as she met Mai’s eyes. “Ok, done. There’s no official check-in, so we can arrive whenever.” She glanced down at Mai’s half-eaten burger still on her plate. “If you’re done eating, we should probably head out.”

Mai gave a curt nod, and they headed out to the car.

As Ty Lee pulled back onto the expressway, she looked at Mai out of the corner of her eye. She was curled up in the passenger seat, sunglasses still on, staring out the window with her headphones in. Mai was a sullen person, but something was bothering her. Ty Lee thought Mai had been staring at her when she was stretching, but with those sunglasses on, she couldn’t tell. It was probably just wishful thinking anyway. Ty Lee turned back to the road, and she saw something glinting up ahead on a mountain.

“Mai, can you see what that is?” she asked.

“What?” Mai pulled out one of her earbuds.

Ty Lee pointed. “That thing glinting up ahead, can you see what it is?”

Mai took off her sunglasses and squinted. “No. Maybe a metal roof? Who cares?” She put her sunglasses back on and looked out the window again, though she left her earbud out.

“I think we should follow it,” Ty Lee said.

Mai sighed and turned to look at her. “Why? We have a destination now; we’re not aimlessly wandering anymore.”

“Because, I feel like we’re supposed to follow it.” Mai turned away, but from this angle, Ty Lee could see her roll her eyes behind her sunglasses. It stung a little. Mai usually made a show of sighing and rolling her eyes at everything, but it was different when she tried to hide it. It felt real that way. Ty Lee frowned. “When we started driving, I said I was going to follow a star. This is the second star we saw, so I’m going to follow it.”

Mai turned back to Ty Lee. “It’s not a star, it’s some piece of metal or something. Honestly. just go to the Airbnb.”

Ty Lee couldn’t help the beginning of tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Something was definitely up with Mai. She was the only person who didn’t dismiss Ty Lee, who saw her individuality under a face so identical to her sisters. She sniffed. “I’m going to follow the star.”

“Whatever.” Mai said as she slouched back into her seat and returned to her vigil at the window, her earbud back in her ear.

Ty Lee eventually turned on some music and started singing. Her voice wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t awful either, and her enthusiasm made up for her lack of technique. She didn’t talk to Mai for the rest of the drive, except to point out various animals and cool clouds and plants she saw.

An hour later, they finally got to the mountain Ty Lee saw the star on, and they pulled off the expressway and found a hiking trail.

“Let’s go try to find the star,” Ty Lee started to open her door.

Mai caught her arm before she could get out. “Ty Lee,” she said softly.

Mai didn’t know why she had been so mean to Ty Lee. She hadn’t meant what she said, not really. If Ty Lee wanted to follow the metal star, she honestly didn’t care; she didn’t know why she’d gotten so irritated before. Agni, she’d made Ty Lee tear up. She’d never been bubbly and full of light like Ty Lee, but she’d never been so cross she’d made Ty Lee cry. She knew she should apologize, but she was scared to. She was scared of what happened at the burger place.

Ty Lee sat back down and turned to her. “Yes?”

“I just -” Mai let go of Ty Lee’s arm. She took off her sunglasses and ran a hand over her face. “I just wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. I- I didn’t mean it, and I don’t know why I said it. I’ve just been a bit on edge.” She glanced at Ty Lee before looking down at her hands, waiting for a reply.

Ty Lee’s gaze roved Mai’s face, contemplative. “Thank you for saying that.” Ty Lee rested a hand on Mai’s arm. “I know you didn’t mean what you said, but it still hurt me.”

Mai looked up to meet Ty Lee’s eyes. “I’m really sorry. It wasn’t right to take my anger out on you.”

Ty Lee smiled softly and pulled Mai into an awkward hug across the console.

“Let’s try and move forward and make the rest of the trip better,” she said, and Mai’s arms tightened around her.

“Ok."

They stayed like that for a few minutes, neither of them wanting to break the hug first.

Finally, Ty Lee pulled away and gave Mai a small smile. “Let’s go find that star.”

Mai smiled in return, and they got out of the car to begin their hike, arm in arm.

Pretty quickly they realized this was not a hike to be done with an arm linked to another person. It was strenuous and uphill; they needed all their focus on the trail.

Ty Lee tried to fill the silence with small talk. “So, Mai, what do you think the star is?”

Mai, in front of her, climbed over a particularly high root before turning to face her. “Like I said before, it’s probably just a piece of scrap metal.”

Ty Lee jumped over the root and landed right in front of Mai. “Well, I hope it’s a pretty piece of scrap metal.”

The corners of Mai’s lips twitched up, and they stared at each other for a second too long before Mai turned and continued on the trail.

“If it’s a pretty piece of scrap metal,” Mai said, “maybe you can take some and turn it into those earrings you’re always making.”

Ty Lee beamed. “It can be a memento from our trip!” She caught up to Mai. “I can make you some too!”

“I don’t really wear-”

“They’ll be mini swords!”

Mai looked at Ty Lee out of the corner of her eye, who was beaming and looking at Mai expectantly.

“I can get on board with that,” Mai said and smiled slightly. Ty Lee sure knew her well. The only way she was going to wear those ridiculous earrings was if they were swords. Sure, they looked good on Ty Lee, but Mai preferred a more understated look. And swords earrings were exactly the understated, threatening vibe she was going for.

Something to the left caught Ty Lee’s eye. “Mai, look! It’s a phoenix!” She pointed to the red and gold bird perched in a tree on the side of the trail. “I want to get a picture of it. Don’t startle it.”

Mai stayed still and watched as Ty Lee crept up to the bird on near silent feet. She was impressed. Ty Lee was able to get within five feet of the phoenix and snap several pictures. If she had tried to do it, she might have gotten one picture from eight feet away, but Ty Lee had always been more graceful than her. Sure, Mai could be quiet when she wanted to, that’s what comes with living in a house where children are seen and not heard, but she didn’t have Ty Lee’s natural grace. She made everything look so easy and beautiful.

Ty Lee waved Mai over. As soon as Mai took a step, the phoenix flew away. Yeah, she definitely wasn’t as graceful as Ty Lee.

“Look at the pictures I got!” Ty Lee said, and she passed her phone to Mai.

They were gorgeous pictures. The phoenix was sitting regally on its branch, the bold red and gold of its feathers stark against the green and brown background of trees.

“It kind of looks like you, Mai,” Ty Lee said over Mai’s shoulder.

Mai looked up from the phone. “Why?”

“Because,” Ty Lee said, “you have the same quiet majesty. Like you know your worth and won’t put up with people treating you poorly, and you protect those you care about. I’m usually passed over, just one of a set, but you remind me that I deserve better”

Mai studied the picture for a moment before passing the phone back to Ty Lee. “We better keep walking.”

Mai trudged onward. She didn’t know how to respond. Sure, she stood up for those she cared about, but that was the least she could do. She wasn’t exactly caring or lovable like Ty Lee. Ty Lee was the kindest person Mai had ever met, and despite her many attempts to push her away when they were younger, she kept coming back. Eventually, Mai realized how lucky she was to have someone like Ty Lee; she knew Mai better than anyone. Standing up for Ty Lee when she was willing to brush off insults for the sake of peace really was the least Mai could do.

“What earrings are you going to make for yourself?” Mai asked after a bit.

Ty Lee pondered the question, looking out at the trees. “I think I’d make stars. After all, that’s why we’re here.” She smiled and nudged Mai with her shoulder.

Mai gave her a small smile back.

“Look at those firelilies!” Ty Lee exclaimed.

Ty Lee went over to the side of the trail to examine the patch of red flowers. She stood there for a minute, trying to find the prettiest, most vibrant flowers. First, she picked a flower in the middle of the patch; it was a bit larger than the rest and more pink than red. Then, she picked another flower on the edge of the patch. Mai wasn’t sure she would have noticed it if it wasn’t for Ty Lee. It was smaller than the rest, but it made up for it in the breadth of its bloom and the wash of rich red and pink tones on its petals. Ty Lee tucked the small one behind her ear and walked back over to Mai.

“Here,” she said and brushed Mai’s hair back to place the large flower behind her ear.

Mai’s eyes followed her the entire time, her body frozen. When Ty Lee stepped back, Mai touched the spot where her hand had been. After a moment, she reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind Ty Lee’s ear, fingers brushing the petals of the firelily before dropping back to her side.

“Why didn’t you give yourself the big, pink one?” Mai asked. “It seems more you.”

“Because I thought it’d go better with you,” Ty Lee said before grabbing Mai by the hand. “Come on. If we keep stopping, we’ll never make it to the star.”

“Then, maybe you should stop slowing us down.” Mai deadpanned as she let Ty Lee lead her through the trail. “You’re the one who keeps stopping.”

Ty Lee laughed, a bright, cheerful sound, and Mai thought it must have been one of the prettiest sounds she’d ever heard.

* * *

They hiked in comfortable silence for about an hour, Ty Lee occasionally pausing to take pictures of cool plants or animals she saw. But as they went farther and farther on the trail, Ty Lee got quieter and quieter. Eventually, she stopped, collapsing onto a rock.

“It’s hopeless,” Ty Lee sighed. She ran her fingers through her hair, jostling the firelily behind her ear, before putting her head in her hands. “You were right. This was pointless.”

Mai crouched in front of Ty Lee and lowered her hands from her face. “It’s not pointless. Even if we don’t find the star, we still saw that phoenix, and we still have these flowers.” She adjusted the firelily that was close to falling, and her eyes caught a glint over Ty Lee’s shoulder. It looked like it was coming from the side of a cliff up ahead. “Do you see that?” Mai pointed to the gleam.

Ty Lee looked over her shoulder. “It’s the star!” She looked back at Mai and bounced to her feet. “Come on!”

They followed the trail up the side of the cliff until they were level to where they saw the gleam. Ty Lee moved quicker than Mai; she had a knack for balance and climbing. She guided Mai through a couple, more difficult spots, and eventually they reached the entrance to a cave.

“Do you think this is it?” Ty Lee asked.

Mai surveyed the trail below them. “Yeah, there’s the rock you were sitting on.” She pointed. “I have a direct view of where we were.”

Ty Lee looked at the rock and back to the entrance of the cave. “Ok, then let’s see what’s inside.”

Ty Lee led the way on the narrow trail, and when she turned the corner into the cave, she gasped. It was a cave of crystals. Ty Lee had been expecting metal, something ugly, not one of the most magnificent sights she’d ever seen. She ventured further in. The light from the cave entrance was bouncing off the gleaming crystals, and the cave was awash with a silvery light. It looked like it was made out of stars. Ty Lee lifted her head and closed her eyes, letting herself enjoy this moment. In front of her, she heard Mai let out a small gasp as she entered the cave. She opened her eyes to find Mai staring at her.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Ty Lee asked, gesturing to the cave.

“Yeah.” Mai held Ty Lee’s gaze. “It is.”

Here, in the silvery light of the crystal cave, Ty Lee looked ethereal. That was the only way Mai could describe it. Ty Lee had always been beautiful, but bathed in this silver light, she was breathtaking. When Mai walked into the cave and saw her, head tilted up, eyes closed, a small smile on her face, glowing like she was made of stars, Mai couldn’t help the way her breath hitched. Now, she walked over to Ty Lee, entranced.

“It looks like you found your star,” Mai said, her voice hushed. She couldn’t keep her eyes off Ty Lee. This was like what happened at the burger place, but this time she didn’t feel anxious or on edge. She just kept staring at Ty Lee’s face, the way the light bounced off her skin, how it reflected in her brown eyes, bringing out copper undertones.

Ty Lee’s eyes searched Mai’s face for an answer she knew wasn’t there. The way Mai had stared at her earlier today and the way she was staring at her now made Ty Lee hope...but she knew Mai would never love her the way she loved Mai. She didn’t know when it had started, it had come on gradually, until one day Mai laughed at Ty Lee’s jokes, a genuine laugh, and Ty Lee knew she was head over heels in love with her best friend. She tried to let it go, to get over it, but whenever Mai looked at her a second too long, whenever her hand brushed against Ty Lee’s, she had wondered, _what if she likes me too?_ And now, in the cave, with the entirety of Mai’s intense stare on her face, Ty Lee couldn’t help but wonder again, _what if she likes me too?_

Mai stepped closer to Ty Lee, and brushed the firelily in her hair. In the silver light, it glowed like it was made out of living flame. Her gaze shifted to Ty Lee’s eyes, and then, down to her mouth. For the briefest second, they stayed there. Mai took a breath, leaned in a fraction of a centimeter, and-

A crash rang out through the cave, and Mai jumped back, eyes scanning the interior.

“What was that?” she asked.

Ty Lee went to the edge and looked out. “It looks like a rock slide. We better leave.”

Ty Lee waved her hand at Mai, and Mai followed her out. As they made their way down the cliff, Mai tried to process what had just happened. She had wanted to kiss Ty Lee. Before that rock slide, _she had been about to kiss Ty Lee_. Mai had just seen her standing there, face lit up in crystal starlight, and all the feelings she didn’t even know she had came rushing to the surface. The way she softened when Ty Lee complimented her; the way she longed to make Ty Lee laugh just to hear the sound; the way she was always overly aware when Ty Lee was close to her; the way they locked eyes, and Ty Lee gave Mai that soft smile, a smile reserved only for her, and it felt like they were the only two people in the world.

Mai looked at the back of Ty Lee’s head, trying to make sense of it all. It was true, she was closer to Ty Lee than she’d ever been with anyone, but she hadn’t realized her feelings ran deeper than that. It made sense why she had frozen earlier today at the burger shop, why afterwards she tried to push Ty Lee away. But she didn’t want to push Ty Lee away. She didn’t know how this realization would affect their friendship, she hoped it wouldn’t, but even now she couldn’t look at Ty Lee without remembering how she’d wanted to kiss her.

Ty Lee led the way down the trail. She didn’t look back at Mai, didn’t talk to her; she was trying to understand what had happened. She thought that Mai had been about to kiss her. But Ty Lee had read into Mai’s actions before, and she didn’t want to assume Mai’s interest and possibly ruin their friendship. She’d dropped hints over the years, commenting on girls’ appearance, _her earrings_ , etc., and Mai never responded. But what if she was right? What if Mai had been about to kiss her? Then, Ty Lee could finally act on all the feelings she’d been trying to get rid of for so many years. But, again, if she was wrong it could ruin their friendship. She was stuck in this endless circle of thought for the rest of the hike.

They made it back to the car, and Mai took the driver’s seat.

“What do you want for dinner?” she asked. “We should probably get something in that town by the Airbnb.”

“I’ll look up places around there,” Ty Lee said and pulled out her phone.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Ty Lee on her phone, Mai focused on the road. The silence was palpable. Ty Lee could feel Mai glancing at her every few seconds, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Mai’s tense expression. Finally, Ty Lee broke the silence.

“How does sushi sound?” she asked.

Mai glanced at her, her face softening at the sound of Ty Lee’s voice. “Sounds great.”

Ty Lee put the address into the GPS, and they were on their way.

“So, that cave was pretty cool,” Ty Lee said in an attempt to make conversation. Usually she had no trouble talking to Mai, but after what had just happened, things were tense between them.

 _Shit,_ she thought, _and I just brought it up._

Ty Lee saw Mai stiffen out of the corner of her eye.

“Yeah, it was pretty cool,” Mai said and shifted in her seat. She changed the subject. “How long to the restaurant?”

Ty Lee gave a small sigh of relief. Mai could get touchy about subjects surrounding feelings, and Ty Lee wanted to end the day on a good note. Besides, she didn’t want to talk about what happened in the cave if it was going to lead to an awkward rejection.

“The GPS says three hours,” Ty Lee said, looking at her phone. “Do you care if I play music?”

Mai waved a hand at the dashboard. “No, go ahead.”

Ty Lee plugged in her phone and put on her road trip playlist. She’d never been on a road trip before, but she’d been cultivating the playlist for years in hopes that she could one day live the coming-of-age road trip dream. She was a little old for that now, but nevertheless this was a road trip, and it deserved a road trip playlist.

At first, Ty Lee bopped her head to the music, tapping her foot and occasionally humming along. Very quickly, however, she descended into full blown singing and car dancing. She’d rolled down the window, which made the music harder to hear, so she’d just turned it up to full volume. She closed her eyes and belted out the lyrics, waving her arms like a madman in order to make up for the inability to dance with her whole body.

Mai watched Ty Lee whenever she could spare a glance. She was hardly hitting any of the notes; her hair was a mess, it had pulled free of it’s braid and was whirling all around her; and she looked like an eel trying to free itself from a net, but Mai couldn’t stop sneaking glances at her. Her face was lit up with a smile that could only come from belting your heart out to your favorite song without a care in the world.

The next time Mai glanced at Ty Lee, her eyes were open and she had her phone in her hand as a mic. When she saw Mai looking at her, Ty Lee stopped singing and held the phone up to Mai’s lips, looking at her expectantly. Mai sighed and started singing. She rolled her window down, and soon her hair was just as much of a mess and Ty Lee’s, and they were both singing at the top of their lungs.

Ty Lee beamed at Mai, and Mai smiled back, a full, toothy grin. Ty Lee thought she could stay like this forever, belting songs on an open road with her best friend, driving aimlessly with nowhere to go.

But they did have somewhere to go, and by the time they got to the restaurant, both their voices were hoarse, and their hair was a rat’s nest, the flowers lost in the wind.

Ty Lee took one look at Mai and laughed. “You look like a toucan puffin that got caught in a hurricane.”

Mai frowned. “You don’t look much better yourself.” She tugged at a hair that had somehow managed to stick itself straight out from the side of Ty Lee’s head.

Ty Lee pulled down her sun visor, looked in the mirror, and promptly collapsed into another fit of laughter. “We - look - ridiculous.” She tried to catch her breath, and pointed to the trunk. “There’s a brush in my bag.”

Mai unbuckled and crawled to the trunk. “Which pocket?” she called.

“The big one.”

A minute later, Mai was back in the driver’s seat, hairbrush in hand. She wordlessly handed the brush to Ty Lee. Ty Lee struggled to detangle the tornado mess that was her hair until finally she slumped back into her seat and let out a sigh.

“This is useless. Mai you do it.” She held out the brush to Mai.

Ty Lee watched as Mai looked from the brush to Ty Lee and back again, face impassive. Maybe this had been a mistake. Maybe she had been too bold. But after a moment of indecision, Mai took the brush. Ty Lee smiled and turned around in her seat, facing the window, and Mai started brushing. At first, the hair was so tangled, Mai had to discard the brush entirely. She gently pulled the strands apart, careful not to pull or tug too hard. Ty Lee watched her in the window. When Mai was focused, she had this way of furrowing her brows and squinting, just a bit. Ty Lee thought it was adorable. She let herself savor this moment, legs curled up in front of her, head on her knees, the feeling of Mai softly brushing her fingers through her hair. Too soon, Mai picked up the brush, ran it through her hair once, and sat back.

“Done,” she announced.

Ty Lee turned back to face her. “Do you want me to brush yours-”

“No,” Mai said, perhaps a bit too quickly. “I can do it myself; it shouldn’t take long.”

Mai needed to get out of this car sooner rather than later. She could already sense her feelings bubbling to the surface, and she couldn’t risk another moment like the one in the cave.

“Go in and get us a table,” she said to Ty Lee. “I’ll be in there in a minute.”

Ty Lee nodded and got out of the car, leaving Mai alone with her thoughts.

As she brushed her own hair, Mai wondered how in the world she was supposed to be friends with Ty Lee. Just the simple act of brushing Ty Lee’s hair had made her heart race. She tried to collect herself as she looked in the mirror and redid the buns on her head. Once she was satisfied with how she looked, Mai got out of the car and made her way to the restaurant.

When she got inside, she searched the tables for Ty Lee’s head. To her left there was a large table of people her age, talking and laughing loudly. Mai rolled her eyes and scanned the tables on the right.

“Mai! Over here!” She heard from her left.

Mai groaned, she really did not want to sit near that rowdy table, but she walked over to Ty Lee...who was sitting at the table right beside them.

“Can’t those people be quiet?” Mai motioned to the group of hooligans. “We are in a restaurant.”

Ty Lee laughed. “Mai, they’re just having fun.”

Mai spared a glance at the other table. One of them had painted a soy sauce mustache on himself and looked like he was pretending to be a doctor? professor?, she couldn’t tell. Another guy apparently found this impression so funny that his drink came out his nose.

Mai sighed and opened her menu. “Someone should teach them some manners.”

Ty Lee kicked Mai playfully under the table. When Mai looked up, she saw Ty Lee had also painted a soy sauce mustache on herself and was raising an eyebrow at Mai.

“And why do you think you think that?” Ty Lee asked in a deep voice as she pretended to write notes in an imaginary journal.

Mai rolled her eyes fondly and kicked Ty Lee back. “Just pick out something to eat.”

While they were studying the menu, the waiter came over. He kind of looked like an e-boy, with shaggy black hair and a broody expression. He just didn’t have the style, no piercings, no make-up, not even on the burn scar on his left eye. Plus, he was like five years too old for that trend.

The waiter fumbled in his apron for a second before pulling out a pencil and notepad. “Hi, Zuko here. I’ll be your server today. Can I start you off with some drinks?”

Ty Lee gave Zuko a huge smile. “I’ll have water, please.”

“Same,” Mai said without looking up from her menu.

“Are you ready to order, or do you need a couple more minutes?” Zuko asked, his voice painfully pleasant.

Mai looked up from her menu at Ty Lee. “I’m ready if you are.”

After they ordered their food, and as Zuko left to grab their drinks, “Tsumani” by Southern All Stars started playing.

Mai groaned and banged her head on the table. “Why is this song always playing? It came out in 2003; find some new music. Like biz, or TENDOUJI, or at least play some King Gnu. Agni.” Mai picked her head up. “I mean, there’s so many different kinds of music that just 2000s hits. For example-”

Mai began to rant about how much music had evolved since the early 2000s and how underappreciated new artists are. She was getting heated, gesturing with her hands and raising her voice slightly. Ty Lee smiled as she listened to Mai. If there was one thing that was a surefire way to get Mai worked up, it was music.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but you’re talking about music?”

Mai turned to see the waiter standing behind her with their drinks. “Yeah. Do you have any say over the music? It’s awful.”

Zuko set down their drinks and shook his head. “No, the manager picks out the music. I keep trying to introduce him to new music, but his taste was cultivated by my uncle, his father, so it’s a lost cause. I agree though, it’s awful.”

Mai and Zuko chatted for a bit, asking each other’s opinions on certain bands and genres, and Ty Lee’s gaze drifted to the table beside them. The guy who used to have the soy sauce mustache was now apparently telling some story? No, he seemed to be reciting poetry. A brown haired girl at the end of the table near Ty Lee caught her staring.

“If you’re wondering,” she said to Ty Lee, “yes, he’s always like this. But believe it or not, he’s actually kind of a genius.”

Ty Lee smiled. “Really? You’re lucky to be his friend then.”

“Sister, actually.” The girl inclined her head. “I’m Katara.”

Ty Lee nodded back. “Ty Lee. What brings you guys here? A special event?”

Katara leaned in and with a conspirator’s whisper said, “Actually my brother, Sokka, has a not-so-subtle crush on the waiter with the scar. Every other week he suggests we go out for a ‘family dinner.’ Coincidentally, we always end up coming here.” She sat back. “Why are you here?”

“Oh, me and my friend Mai are on a road trip. It’s been super fun so far! We just saw a cave of crystals before we came here.”

Katara’s eyes widened. “Really? Where? I’ve lived here for a while, but I’ve never heard of a cave of crystals.”

Ty Lee got out her phone to show Katara where she and Mai had stopped to see the cave when a voice interrupted them.

“Katara! Who are you talking to?” Katara’s brother, Sokka, called from the other end of the table.

Katara rolled her eyes fondly and turned to Sokka. “Her name’s Ty Lee. She was just showing me where to find this crystal cave she saw.”

Sokka’s face lit up. “A crystal cave? That sounds awesome!” Sokka turned to Zuko who had made his way to their table, assumedly to check on them. “Did you know there was a crystal cave near here?”

Zuko shook his head, and with Sokka engaged in conversation with Zuko, Katara turned back to Ty Lee.

“See. Huge crush.” She smiled at Ty Lee and noticed Mai watching their conversation. “You must be Ty Lee’s friend, Mai. I’m Katara.” She inclined her head at Mai, and Mai nodded back.

“Katara, who are you jabbering on to?” another voice asked from the table.

Ty Lee looked and saw the voice came from a shorter black haired girl who was subtly slipping food to her seeing eye dog under the table.

“I’m Toph, since Katara didn’t bother introducing you guys to the rest of us,” the girl continued.

Katara sighed. “This is Ty Lee and Mai. They’re on a road trip.”

“Why are you guys on a road trip?” Toph asked, jabbing the bald guy sitting next to her in the arm as he tried to steal her edamame. “Just because I’m blind doesn’t mean I can’t hear you smacking your lips at my edamame, twinkletoes.”

The bald guy laughed before turning to Katara. “Sweetie, do you have any edamame left?”

Katara smiled softly at him; they were obviously very much in love. “No, but I think Suki does.”

The bald guy turned away from them to talk to the girl sitting across from him.

“That’s Aang,” Katara told Mai and Ty Lee.

“He seems really nice,” Ty Lee said. “How long have you guys been together?”

Katara started to answer before Toph interrupted her. “Hey, you guys haven’t answered my question yet.”

Mai, who had been lounging in her chair, observing the conversation, answered, “Being home from university sucks.”

Toph laughed. “Tell me about it. My parents don’t give me any room to breathe. That’s why I hang out with these losers so much.”

“I guess we all need losers to hang out with.” Mai spared Ty Lee a glance and a small smile. “Though I wouldn’t call Ty Lee a loser.”

Ty Lee smiled back. “Aw, Mai, you’re making me blush.”

Apparently the bald guy, Aang, had been listening to their conversation. “You guys make a really cute couple,” he chimed in.

Mai’s face immediately went blank. Ty Lee glanced at her, nervous for her reaction. Secretly, it thrilled Ty Lee to be mistaken as a couple with Mai, but that was because she liked her. Did Mai feel the same way? Or was being in a relationship with Ty Lee unthinkable?

“We’re not together,” Mai said, face still unreadable.

Ty Lee’s heart fell slightly. After the moment in the cave, and in the car too, she had allowed herself to hope that Mai might like her back. In those moments it had just felt like there was something more between them. No, she couldn’t have made it up. There was something there.

“Ha!” Toph laughed. “Keep telling yourself that.”

Mai opened her mouth to say something, but at that moment, Zuko arrived with their food.

As they ate, Mai tried to calm her racing heart. She’d denied that they were a couple, but that girl, Toph, had seen through it, what if Ty Lee had, too? Mai sighed. There was nothing she could do about it now. If Ty Lee knew, then hopefully it didn’t change their friendship.

When Mai finally looked up from her food, Ty Lee was studying her, but as soon as she saw Mai looking back, she looked away to the other table where the gang of rebel rousers was getting up. Katara spared them a smile as she passed them.

“Have a nice road trip,” she said before following her friends out.

As they left the restaurant, Mai and Ty Lee could hear a chorus of voices and laughter.

“Well, they were nice,” Ty Lee remarked.

Mai pointedly avoided looking at Ty Lee; she couldn’t stand to see her looking at Mai with that soft expression so soon after they were mistaken for a couple. It would just make her lament that it wasn’t true. So, instead she fixed her eyes on the door, schooling her face to boredom.

“I suppose,” she said.

“I can’t believe they thought we were a couple.” Ty Lee laughed.

Mai finally looked at her with a tight smile. “Yeah, how absurd.”

Luckily, they were saved from having to continue their conversation by Zuko, who appeared with the check. Once they had paid, Mai and Ty Lee headed back to the car and made the short drive to the Airbnb.

“Are you sure this is right?” Mai asked for the third time since they’d turned onto the long, gravel road surrounded by trees.

Ty Lee looked down at her phone. “Yeah, the GPS says it’s just up ahead.”

Sure enough, a minute later the trees parted and a quaint cottage came into view. In front there was a plethora of different plants, with a stone walkway cutting a path through them to the front door. The exterior was red pine, stained a pleasant mahogany color. The door was made of the same material, but the door frame was intricate iron work shaped to look like vines. The knocker was a komodo rhino made from the same iron as the door frame.

Mai parked the car, and she and Ty Lee got their suitcases out of the trunk and walked up the rose lined path to reach the door. Ty Lee knelt down and lifted up the lion turtle welcome mate to grab the key.

Mai gave her a questioning look, and she shrugged. “What? The owner told me where the key was.”

When they opened the door, the interior was just as quaintly rustic as the exterior. There were exposed wooden walls with industrial hanging lights and enough plants crammed into the space that it could probably be classified as a greenhouse. The front door led to the open concept living area that was a bit awkward with a small kitchen, a dining table, and a sitting area with a couch and a tv all squished into the small space. On the far wall, there were two doors, one that assumedly led to the main bathroom, and one that led to the bedroom.

They opened the door to the bedroom. It was a nice, neutral colored room with a full sized bed and a door leading to its bathroom. Ty Lee dropped her suitcase on the floor and started unzipping it.

“I’m going to take a shower,” she said. “I feel grimy from that hike.”

Ty Lee locked herself in the bathroom, and Mai could hear the sound of running water as she dropped her bag off and went to sit on the couch in the living room.

After about forty-five minutes, Ty Lee came into the living room, pajamas on and hair soaking wet. She walked over to the couch and stood there for a second. Mai watched as a drop of water slid down her face, her neck, her collarbone, before wrenching her eyes back up to Ty Lee’s face. Mai didn’t give her time to say anything before she got up from the couch and went to the bathroom to take her own shower.

Mai drowned her sorrows in scalding hot water, determined to ignore her feelings and continue the rest of the trip in peace. She couldn’t take advantage of her friendship like that; Ty Lee didn’t like her and constantly staring at her wasn’t polite. Mai frowned as she scrubbed her hair. She could do this. After all, she had only just realized she was in love with Ty Lee, how hard could it be to go back to ignoring it?

About a half-hour later, Mai returned, pajamas on and hair wet, and she curled up on the opposite side of the couch as Ty Lee. Ty Lee looked up from her phone, blanket wrapped around her legs.

“Do you want to watch a movie?” She gestured to the tv.

“Sure,” Mai replied, and Ty Lee turned on some trashy romcom.

They watched the movie in silence for a while, until Mai started shivering slightly. Maybe being in the mountains made the nights colder, or maybe her wet hair was preventing her from retaining heat, but her shorts and t-shirt definitely weren’t helping to ward off the chill.

Ty Lee noticed Mai’s shivering and held up the edge of her blanket. “Here,” Ty Lee said. “We can share.”

Mai hesitated for a second before scooching over to sit next to Ty Lee. This close to her, every nerve in Mai’s body was on high alert. She sat perfectly still, but her heart jumped every time Ty Lee shifted and her leg brushed up against Mai’s, or an exciting thing happened in the movie and Ty Lee grabbed her knee.

Halfway through the movie, Ty Lee curled up against Mai, resting her head on Mai’s shoulder. Mai fought to keep her breathing even, her heart rate steady. She knew this didn’t mean as much to Ty Lee as it did to her; Ty Lee had always been a physically affectionate person. If she moved even the slightest inch, Mai was sure this would end. She never wanted it to. But in a moment of boldness, Mai moved her arm around Ty Lee’s shoulders and rested her head on Ty Lee’s.

Ty Lee smiled softly to herself. Her friendship with Mai had never been physical; they’d hug and stuff, but they were never those girls that cuddled or held hands all the time. Mai had always been a bit touch averse, and Ty Lee didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. But today had been different, and she hadn’t moved away when Ty Lee had brushed her leg against her or grabbed her knee. So, Ty Lee had decided to try cuddling, and when Mai had put her arm around her, Ty Lee’s heart had felt like it was about to burst. Now, she could hear Mai’s heartbeat pounding in her chest, feel her still slightly damp hair pressed against her head, and Ty Lee knew she was done for. She stopped trying to push her feelings away and just let herself enjoy this moment.

They stayed like that the rest of the movie. Mai was surprised by how _right_ it felt. She wasn’t one for physical displays of affection, but now, all she wanted to do was sit here forever, her arm wrapped around Ty Lee, breathing in the honey lavender scent of Ty Lee’s hair. But too soon, the movie ended, and Ty Lee unfurled herself from her spot beside Mai, standing up to stretch. The left side of Mai’s body suddenly felt empty without Ty Lee’s warmth.

“We should probably go to bed so we can get an early start tomorrow,” Ty Lee said.

Mai promptly remembered this meant sharing a bed with Ty Lee. She and Ty Lee had shared a bed before when they had sleepovers, but their families were fairly well off, so it had always been a king’s size bed, so big they might as well have been sleeping in separate beds. This bed was only a full, and Mai wasn’t sure she’d be able to sleep if she had to spend the night that close to Ty Lee.

“You can take the bed. I’ll sleep on the couch,” Mai said flatly.

Ty Lee looked at Mai, her eyebrows scrunched and lips turned down in the cute way they do when she’s confused or thinking.

“But there’s room for two in the bed.”

“I’ll sleep out here, and you can have the bed to yourself.” Mai said again, a bit harshly. She started arranging the pillows on the couch.

Ty Lee grabbed her hand, and Mai looked up to meet her gaze. “Mai, that’s ridiculous. Just sleep in the bed.”

Mai sighed. “Fine.” She knew any more argument would seem suspicious, and she didn’t want Ty Lee to start thinking too hard about _why_ Mai was arguing.

Mai followed Ty Lee into the bedroom and layed down, as close to the edge as she could, before turning off the light on her end table. From the darkness that ensued a couple seconds later, she assumed

Ty Lee did the same. After a few minutes, she heard a rustling behind her, followed by Ty Lee’s voice.

“Well, that was an eventful day.”

“Yeah it was,” Mai said, not bothering to turn around to reply.

She heard some more rustling. “What was your favorite part?” Mai didn’t answer for a minute, so Ty Lee continued, “Mine was the crystal cave.”

Ty Lee was in the middle of the bed now, facing Mai. She had to know if Mai had also felt something in the cave, and the darkness somehow made it easier to talk about.

“I liked the cave, too.” Mai replied, still facing away from Ty Lee.

“The crystals were just so gorgeous. And the way the sun was illuminating them. We got there at just the right time.”

 _Why is Ty Lee bringing up the cave?_ Mai wondered.

Yes, it had been beautiful, but she already said that earlier today. Could it be because of what happened? Did she know Mai had been about to kiss her and this was her way of getting her to talk about it? Mai sighed. She guessed now was as good a time as any to talk about it; Ty Lee obviously wasn’t going to drop it. She should come clean, tell Ty Lee her newfound feelings, and then they could move forward...if it didn’t ruin everything.

Mai rolled over and was surprised to find herself face to face with Ty Lee. Her brain stopped working; she forgot what she had planned to say. In the dark, she could barely make out the outline of Ty Lee’s face, her features were blending into the shadows. If Ty Lee had looked ethereal bathed in the silver light of the cave, here she looked mystifying. Her loose hair was lost in the shadows and bits of it framed her face; her eyes were a soft brown that almost glowed in the black of the shadows, their gaze fixed on Mai’s face before flitting down to Mai’s lips and up again. Oh. _Oh_. _That’s_ why Ty Lee brought up the cave. Mai’s eyes drifted down, until they rested on Ty Lee’s slightly parted lips.

Ty Lee watched as Mai’s eyes roamed her face, the intensity of the gaze sending a shiver down her spine. When that intense gaze had met her own, Ty Lee couldn’t help but glance down at Mai’s lips. She watched as Mai’s eyes focused on her lips, and she sucked in a breath.

Mai heard Ty Lee’s breath catch, and she whipped her eyes back to Ty Lee’s. Their eyes locked; the tension was electric. Mai scooted closer to Ty Lee, never breaking her gaze, until there was only a hair's breadth between them. Slowly, Mai raised a hand to Ty Lee’s face, brushing her cheek with her thumb. Ty Lee wasn’t sure she was breathing, what had only seemed like a pipe dream until today was suddenly being realized. Mai slowly moved her face toward Ty Lee’s, giving her time to back away. But she didn’t, she just stared at Mai with such a soft expression that Mai was sure her heart would burst.

“Ty Lee,” Mai breathed, and then they were kissing.

Time stopped. Mai couldn’t perceive anything past the feeling of Ty Lee’s lips on hers, their bodies pressed together. Years of tension she didn’t even know had been building was suddenly released, and she felt like she could breathe again. Her hand moved to Ty Lee’s hair, and Ty Lee wrapped her leg around Mai’s, her arm around Mai’s waist, trying to pull her closer even though there was nowhere to go. Mai’s hand traveled from Ty Lee’s hair, to her neck, and then to her shoulder.

Ty Lee pulled back and smiled at Mai, a smile so full of love, one like Mai never got from anyone but her. It made her pull Ty Lee’s face back to hers and kiss her with all the softness that smile made her feel. Ty Lee held Mai’s face tenderly, like it was the most precious thing in the world, and kissed her back, trying to express all the feelings she’d been holding in for years. Mai’s hands slid to Ty Lee’s waist. Ty Lee kissed her again. She felt like she had to make up for lost time, a kiss for every time she had looked at Mai and wanted to kiss her, every time she wished on a star that her best friend would like her back. After so long of dancing around her feelings, she could finally, _finally_ express them.

“Ty Lee,” Mai mumbled against her mouth.

Mai didn’t know what else to say. She didn’t know how to express to Ty Lee just how much she cared about her, just how much this meant to her. She didn’t have to. In this moment, they were the only two people in the world.

After what felt like an eternity or a millisecond, Ty Lee cuddled against Mai's side, her head tucked under Mai's chin. Mai wrapped her arms around Ty Lee and held her close.

They closed their eyes, their breathing slowly evening out, and they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Mai woke up to an empty bed. She got up and stretched, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, before heading to the living area. She found Ty Lee curled up in a dining chair, mug of coffee in her hand, gazing out the window at the barely rising sun. She looked gorgeous with the soft light illuminating her face, bringing out the honey tones in her hair. Mai walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around Ty Lee, planting a kiss on her head.

“Mai?” Ty Lee said after a while.

“Yeah?”

Ty Lee turned to look Mai in the eyes. “I’m very happy I decided to follow that star.”

Mai smiled. “Me too.”

Ty Lee planted a soft kiss on Mai’s lips before turning back to the window. She leaned back and rested her head on Mai’s chest, Mai’s arms around her. After a few minutes, they went back to the bedroom to pack, made the bed, cleaned the used coffee mugs, and tidied anything that was out of place. When they got out to the car, Mai took the driver’s seat. If their first day had started with excitement and thrill, today was starting with peace and warmth.

Mai pulled out of the driveway and onto the gravel road. After she pulled onto the expressway, heading east towards the rising sun, she looked to the passenger seat to find Ty Lee watching her, a soft smile on her face.

Mai smiled back. “So, where to now?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. I _might_ write another oneshot of them figuring out their new relationship, but that's a strong might; I have other stuff I'm working on at the moment. Also, here's my [tumblr](https://whattheelizabeth.tumblr.com/)
> 
> P.S. I know you don't feed service dogs under the table, but when has Toph ever cared about rules?


End file.
